


now your mess is mine.

by redhoods



Series: we stood as steady as the stars. [4]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:55:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23567185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redhoods/pseuds/redhoods
Summary: “Frumpkin,” Fjord says, with as much disappointment as he can muster which still is no match for Caleb’s disapproving tone he takes with his cat. “How did you even get up there?” He asks, reaching out to scoop the cat off the top of the bookshelf where he’s chewing on the leaves of another one of the plants.The cat mrrps at him and leaps from his arms to start twining around his legs.“Yes, you’re very cute,” he sighs, inspecting the leaves on the plant, “for such a menace.”“I hope you’re not referring to me?”
Relationships: Fjord/Caleb Widogast
Series: we stood as steady as the stars. [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1398343
Comments: 5
Kudos: 147





	now your mess is mine.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AgentBuzzkill](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentBuzzkill/gifts).



> IT'S ERIN'S BIRTHDAY AND SHE DESERVES ONLY THE SWEETEST BEST THINGS SO I PRESENT mucho domestic fluff ft several conversations between fjord and frumpkin.
> 
> HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR!!!!!!
> 
> title from mess is mine by vance joy.
> 
> this can absolutely be read separate from the rest of the series.

“Look,” Fjord says, crouching down by the couch so he’s eye level with Frumpkin, “I know you’re not—” he cranes to look for any sign of Caleb in the vicinity before leaning back to Frumpkin, “I know you’re not an _actual_ cat, but I’m still pretty sure some of these plants could poison you.”

Frumpkin only blinks at him.

“I’m serious, Frumps,” he carries on, “Caleb would be real upset if you got sick because you were eating my house plants.”

He’s having an out and out conversation with his boyfriend’s fey creature of a cat and he’s pretty sure he’s still losing the negotiations. Beau would be laughing her ass off if she were here to witness this, but Fjord’s getting desperate. There’s only so many places he can hang planters before they become a hazard.

The front door opens and closes and Fjord points two fingers at his own eyes then at Frumpkin who yawns before he straightens and goes to see how Caleb’s day has been.

\-----

It hasn’t even been forty-eight hours.

“Frumpkin,” Fjord says, with as much disappointment as he can muster which still is no match for Caleb’s disapproving tone he takes with his cat. “How did you even get up there?” He asks, reaching out to scoop the cat off the top of the bookshelf where he’s chewing on the leaves of another one of the plants.

The cat mrrps at him and leaps from his arms to start twining around his legs.

“Yes, you’re very cute,” he sighs, inspecting the leaves on the plant, “for such a menace.”

“I hope you’re not referring to me?”

Whirling on the spot, Fjord grins sheepishly at Caleb, who’s leaning in the doorway of the study and has been for goodness knows how long, “Both of those things apply to you, but no,” he flicks his gaze at Frumpkin, who’s luxuriating in Caleb’s arms, receiving chin skritches from his favorite human.

Caleb’s grin is just a gentle quirk of his lips as he hefts Frumpkin to bump their noses together, “Have you been eating Fjord’s plants again, Frumps?”

Frumpkin bats Caleb’s cheek with a paw, which only makes Caleb’s eyes crinkle with quiet delight and Fjord turns to shield his own smile in the bookcase as he reaches up to water the plant like his original intentions.

This time, he does not miss Caleb’s approach, but still isn’t quite prepared for the thin arms that slide around his middle, the cheek pressed between his shoulders, “I’m sorry he’s eating all your plants, liebling, I know you’ve worked hard on them.”

“S’alright,” Fjord mumbles, cupping his hands over Caleb’s, “Talked to ‘deuces and he gave me an idea.”

“That so?”

Gently drawing his claws over Caleb’s hand and wrist, he nods, “How do you think fey creatures respond to catnip?”

Caleb’s laugh is a rusty, endlessly charming sound that echoes around the study.

\-----

Caleb is still out when Fjord gets home from the garden supply store, but Frumpkin is sprawled in a patch of sun in the living room. He leaves his boots by the door and carries his crate over to the cat, settling criss cross on the floor just outside the patch of light, “Frumpkin,” he greets.

One eye cracks open to peer at him for the shortest second before falling closed again.

He sighs and pulls out two of the pots from the crate, “I got you something,” he says to the cat, which has gotten only a little less weird over time. There’s still no response as he places the pots on the floor, though Frumpkin’s tail does start thumping against the wood floors.

“I’ll leave you to it then,” he stands and retrieves his crate before retreating out the back door to transfer his other new plants to better pots.

\-----

“Fjord.”

There’s sweat down his back and his few minutes outside to transfer his new plants to nicer pots has turned into weeding parts of the garden and making trims on the outdoor plants.

Also harvesting some strawberries that looked too good and too tempting.

“Fjord.”

He startles and turns, swiping his arm over his forehead as he tips onto his ass in the dirt, squinting up at Caleb, “Oh!” There’s a weird set line to Caleb’s mouth but the corner of his eyes are crinkled in something like amusement and Fjord’s already having a hard time piecing together his mood.

“I didn’t mean to startle you,” Caleb says then nods to the house, “you should come in and clean up, you’ve got soil on your face.”

Blinking, Fjord glances at the garden then back before pushing himself to stand, “Alright,” he replies cautiously, “is everything okay?” He starts racking his own mind for anything he’d forgotten to do, any meetings he might’ve missed, but comes up short. And it’s not as though Caleb seems upset, really.

Caleb nods at him, “Ja,” he turns and starts for the house, Fjord trailing his footsteps, “there’s dirt on your ear too, by the way.”

“Maybe I’ll jump in the shower,” he grumbles quietly, to Caleb’s rusty laughter, pausing inside the back door to kick his boots off so he doesn’t track dirt through their house. “Then I could cook us dinner?” He offers, still following Caleb further into the house, though he deviates at the kitchen.

He puts his bowl of strawberries down into the sink to clean off once he’s gotten a shower and ventures into the hallway, finds Caleb leaning against the frame that leads into the living room.

The instinct to wrap himself around Caleb is strong, but he resists, not wanting to end up with both of them covered in dirt, though he does crowd close to him to peer over his shoulder into the room to see what’s gotten his attention.

It’s not hard to figure out.

Frumpkin is sprawled on his back in the flat of catnip Fjord had gotten for him, legs and tail hanging off one end and head almost off the other hand. His purring is audible from the doorway and when he opens his eyes to look at the both of them, his pupils are massive.

Fjord tries and fails to muffle a laugh, pressing the sound into Caleb’s shoulder.

“I suppose that answers the question about fey creatures and catnip,” Caleb ays and Fjord can tell now that he’s aiming for disapproving, but there’s too much amusement in his tone.

Frumpkin mrrps at both of them and rolls on the flat, but ends up tipping off the side of the plant, onto the floor, scrambling almost immediately to climb back onto it and plop flat on his belly in the middle.

Caleb breaks then, laughter spilling out of him.

“I don’t know if it’s going to work,” Fjord says, when he’s not hunched over wheezing into Caleb’s shoulder, “but I think it’s worth it either way.”

“Such a spoiled cat,” Caleb coos at Frumpkin.

Humming, Fjord gives into temptation and fully wraps himself around Caleb, squishing him in close despite the (not very convincing) squawks of protest, “Spoiled like his wizard, eh?” He teases as Caleb squirms in his arms until they’re face to face. And Fjord leans in to rub their cheeks together, hopefully smearing more dirt on Caleb.

“Ja, you do spoil me,” Caleb replies, sounding terribly put out.

“How about I spoil you further with a bath?”

“Oh, you better.”

Fjord laughs as he tugs Caleb up the stairs with him., “Hold down the fort, Frumpkin!”

The only response is a series of trills and mrrps and Caleb’s laughter echoing around them.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm on [twitter](https://twitter.com/vowofenmity).


End file.
